TEWKSBURY -- It's just about that time of year when high school seniors across the region begin to check the mail daily in anticipation of college acceptance letters.

For students who are graduating from Tewksbury High School, one of the key reasons for their success is the guidance staff there.

"We all have great students and we have outstanding support from our administration team. We work very closely, one on one with every single senior, to make sure each one comes out of here with a plan in place," guidance counselor Cecily Markham said.

Over the years, college admission has become more and more competitive, Markham said, so whereas students used to apply to four to six colleges, now it's more like six to eight.

"The bar has been raised more and more and it's a little more difficult to get into some schools.," she said. "This past year, our guidance team helped students mail out over 700 college applications," which included letters of recommendation, resumes and official transcripts.

The guidance staff organizes things like resume and essay writing workshops and parent/guardian breakfasts. It also works with students to use an Internet-based career resource called Naviance.

"As a team, we also do a mini college fair as a part of college career week for juniors in April. We have usually 50 to 60 college representatives and admissions counselors who come to our school. We're particularly proud of the work we do in preparing the students for that," Markham said.

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The guidance staff begins to work with students as early as their freshman year in high school on preparing to take the SAT or ACT exams; for families who are struggling to pay for college, she and her colleagues can them help explore more affordable schools.

"Financial aid changes every year. We always bring in experts from both Middlesex Community College and the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority and they go through, step by step, the government's role and available grants," in addition to the forms the students must fill out, Markham said.

Another representative from Fitchburg State College visits the school annually to go over with students the dos and don'ts of writing a good essay.

Markham said she typically advises students to take the most rigorous courses they can handle without getting behind and to emphasize a strong commitment to extracurricular activities, noting it is often better to do just a few things where they can have a real impact than to try and load up their resumes with an unmanageable number of affiliations.

That formula has worked well for students in recent graduating classes, who have earned acceptance to Harvard and other Ivy League schools, as well as institutions like MIT, Merrimack College, all of the UMass campuses and the University of Maine.

Last year, 66 percent of the THS graduates went on to four-year colleges, while an additional 20 percent enrolled in two-year colleges, Markham said.

"A good college application packet doesn't necessarily need to include having a 4.0 GPA, but it should include strong grades along with evidence of involvement in community service, school activities like drama club and part-time employment. They want a very well-rounded student," she said.

For students who plan to enroll in trade schools or technical institutes, THS offers a vocational workshop in fields like automotive technology that can help aid them in selecting a career path, Markham said.

College and career planning are just a couple of the areas where the guidance team helps students, who also stop by to visit when they are in any type of personal crisis, whether it's with their school work or relationships that may require peer remediation or faculty intervention, in cases of bullying.

David Harne, who is in his first year as a guidance counselor at the school, said he was thrilled to stay on after doing his internship under department director Karen Baker O'Brien, who, he said, is a great boss.

The gratitude from students whom she has helped is one of the best parts of the job, sixth-year guidance counselor Tina Sheahan said.

"One of the greatest culminations of the year is at scholarship night and at graduation. Once everyone has found their parents, some of them will come over and give you a hug or shake your hand," Sheahan said.

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